Connect, Invest, Empower
Since 1981, the African Food and Peace Foundation (AFPF) a US 501(c) 3, has co-designed a unique educational ecosystem in rural Uganda: the Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT).
AFPF is committed to supporting grass roots, community-initiated rural development projects, empowering girls and women and helping African families and communities benefit from sustainable rural development.
We do that by supporting the educational institutions that URDT has developed: The URDT Girls School, the URDT Vocational Institute, the African Rural University, and URDT itself, with includes an 80-acre campus and demonstration organic farm, an FM Radio Station that reaches 5 million people, and a number of on campus businesses—each designed to be self-sustaining and to train others in specific trades.
We Don’t Give Aid — We Build Capacity. We believe people are the drivers of their own development, and we empower them to create the futures they envision.
Transformation Story
Meet Shakira, a student at URDT Girls, standing in front of her former home. Thanks to the suppport, her life has changed dramatically. Because of her education, she three times less likely to be HIV positive, will have fewer children, and her future children's survival rate past age five has increased by 40%. Once she working, she’ll earn 10-20% more and invest 90% of her income back into children.
Awakening the Sleeping Genius
For 44 years, AFPF has been based in the Greater Boston area. We contribute financial and intellectual resources from North America to URDT. With our partners in Uganda, we support the following key strategies:
- Equity, quality, and Access to Education for women and girls
- Food Security through improved agricultural practices;
- Entrepreneurship through technical and vocational skills;
- Peace through advancements in health and social welfare; and
- Environmental Sustainability
Our Unique Approaches to Development
What is unique about the approach used by each of these institutions and businesses is that everyone involved is trained in the creative process. They learn: how to create a vision of what they want, how to observe their current reality, and how to hold in their minds the discrepancy between their current reality and their vision to create the structural tension that empowers them to achieve their visions.
Using this visionary approach, combined with systems thinking and excellent education, URDT has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people and thousands of small communities and farms and businesses in western Uganda.
We welcome you to learn more about this amazing educational ecosystem and to help us replicate its success in other parts of Africa and the world.
Empowering
We envision an African continent where rural communities are socially and economically self-
sufficient and thriving. We believe that sustainable RURAL development is key to creating a climate-
friendly planet. Our 44 years of experience in carrying out this work have convinced us that women
and girls are the key to sustainable rural transformation.
Join a community that believes educating girls and empowering women can transform the future generation.
IMPACT
In Uganda, 1 in 20 girls do not finish secondary school or higher education. Your support protects girls and young women in Africa.
$25 supplies a girl with school materials.
"It is so exciting to finally go to." — URDT Girls School Student.
Awards
& Recognition
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Our Team.
Our dedicated team is passionate about sustainable international development in Africa and fostering peace across the continent. Our diverse group of passionate individuals bring together years of experience. Together we are committed making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.
Transformation Story
Our Projects
Women-Focused Initiatives
The URDT Institute in Uganda will begin training young women this in 20 districts and four refugee settlements, following the verification of training centers and participants The program aims to train 5,000 women in its first year across 545 centers, focusing on value addition and ICT integration for a competitive edge in a tech-driven economy.
A Girls School
URDT Girls School families elevate themselves from poverty to the middle class by their daughters graduation. These families host African Rural University students during their practicums in rural communities. Graduates are then employed as Epicenter Managers or specialists in sustainable agriculture collaborating with locals and government to achieve community goals like new roads, schools, and water treatment.
UNIQUE 2-Generation Approach to Education
The 2-gen approach to education was pioneered by Mwalimu Musheshe and Alida Bakema Boon at the URDT Girls School, where young girls teach their entire families how to create visions and to achieve them, has now been in practice for 25 years! Today, even the poorest families already have real homes, rather than mud huts, latrines, and cash crops.
Cervical Cancer Screening Centers
Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Ugandan women, exacerbated by limited access to screening in rural areas. The URDT-FCF project has been providing mobile screenings since 2017, reaching remote communities and local centers. Dr. Frederik van Slooten oversees the initiative, aiming to screen 15,000 women aged 25 to 49 within two and a half years, with 75% of this goal already achieved.
“I had persistent pain and feared the worst. When they told me I didn’t have cervical cancer, I was relieved,” she shared. Though her pain was unrelated, she vowed to spread awareness: “I’ll encourage others to get screened.” Beneficiary Katushabe Joseline, relieved after being screened, plans to encourage others to get tested.
Vocational Skills Centers
The URDT Vocational Institute is training both men and women in over 30 different trades, from carpentry and plumbing to motorcycle repair, restaurant management, and bee-keeping. Over the last five years, the Institute graduated 70,000 students who, in turn, started their own local businesses!
5M+
Lives Impacted
5,020+
Families Transformed Through Education
70,000+
Youth Empowered
It is gratifying to have empowered and positively impacted the lives of over 20,000 people living in rural communities in Uganda. Together we can do more. Join Us!
